Lagos Court Jails Omatseye, Former NIMASA DG, For Five Years

The Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos has sentenced the former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Raymond Omatseye, to five years in prison.

Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia convicted and sentenced Mr Omatseye after finding him guilty on 24 out of 27 counts charge bordering on bid rigging and contract splitting

The EFCC had charged the former NIMASA DG with N1.5 billion contract scam.

At the last adjourned date on March 14,counsels representing the prosecution and defence had both adopted their final written addresses in court.

Counsel to the accused, Mr Edoka Onyeke, in his address urged the court to discountenance the arguments of prosecution and dismiss the charge against his client.

He argued that the prosecution had not been able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Onyeke said that out of the 27-count charge preferred against the accused, 25 dealt strictly with the issue of approval of contract above the threshold while the remaining two were on bid rigging.

He maintained that the prosecution did not prove that exhibit PD 16, which it relied on in dealing with the issue of threshold, got to NIMASA at the time the contracts were awarded while he urged the court to discharge his client.

In his argument, the prosecutor, Mr Godwin Obla, urged the court to hold that the case of the prosecution was “as clear as daylight, and had also been proven beyond reasonable doubt”.

He had submitted that the facts of the case spoke volumes, stating that the accused in exhibit PD 1 and 2 clearly articulated his threshold for goods as not exceeding 2.5 million Naira and for works as not exceeding five million Naira.

Obla said that count 25 of the charge, which dealt on threshold was straightforward while he added that sufficient evidence had been adduced to show that the accused awarded contracts above thresholds.

Dat is a wakeup call to other jordges. Common people can only be respect for 9ja lodges if we beginning to hear good news like dis. Pls EFCC help us to get COMD OLABDE JORDGES , applicants fee on sure- p, over #50.000 each on 100,000 applicants

5yrs jail term for stealing Billions. This will not deter others from looting. In the United States, he will go for 25yrs such that the money he looted will never be useful to him. Now after 5yrs he will be out, then becomes Governor of Bayelsa state, and begins another looting all over.

At last the man has been jailed. Kudos to president Jonathan who fired him in 2013 for corruption and that gave the EFCC the platform to press charges the same year. Many thanks to the judiciary. Anybody that dipped his or her hand in our collective resources should be made to face the law of the land as dictated by the law and not by any individaul. Invariably, let the rule of law take its full course. I rest my case.